Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-05-16
IRRESISTIBLE.


her dark eyes flashed. 81 love you,
but | shall not marry you"
"And your reasonsp" he asked, in
voice that trembled despite his strong
efforts to control it.
She looked at him quietly, pityingly,
and her answer rang through his very
soul.
because you would make my life
one long regret. Because, far in the
years to come, / foresee such utter
degradation for you as would make
the life of any woman mad enough to
give her happiness-her fate-to your
keeping life of such misery that the
grave would be welcome refuge"
-"You love me, and yet you can say
this to me?"
81 could nothaye, loved you had l
dreamed of this before. As / say. |
will not be untrue. believed in you
wholly. | thought you the only one |
had ever known who had touched my
heart, who could awaken in me the
love woman gives but once in her
life. / yielded myself gladly to the
knowledge of this feeling, for / could
not mistake your manner, your feel
ings to me. / saw my influence over
you with none of the triumph of a
coquette, You well know, but with the
quiet happiness of woman VINO loves
truly, entirely, herself But for the
late knowledge that the fatal cup,
which has ruined thousands, and tens
of thousands, is not strange to your
lips, my heart would be wholly yours"
but, Margaret, your influence has
such power over me; under it, what
can / not conquer? Blessed with your
love, what might / not become?"
The beautiful lips lost their frmness
of expression, and quivered with
strongly-expressed feeling.
II have no faith in my power" she
said sadly. "God only knows how in
tensely l pity you, but should go mad
if | were forced to pity my husband.
| must esteem, respect, as well as love
the man to whom l give control of all
my future"
us there no hope for meP' he pas
sionately exclaimed. care YOU so
cold, so hard, that yon deny me all
trial-that you refuse to believe for
you could conquer, would conquer,
all that stood between me and my
dearest hopes of earthly happiness?
Margaret! Margaret! no human crea-
ture but yourself can save me. If you
refuse to listen-to belieye-I care not
what gulf bears me TO oblivion"
II dare not listen to YOU" and great
tears rolled down her cheeks; II dare
not take upon myself such VOWS as
bind our earthly fates, and feel in my
heart how entirely we shall yet be
separated in all true union. / must
say to you, have no faith in the dead
ly infatuation of one who INDUCES in
the appetite for strong drink"
''You condemn me, then, to .ruin?"
al condemn you to ruin! God for
bid! Harry Norton, it all remains
with yourself. l cannot conceal from
you that think you have hard battle
before you in life. To conquer that
appetite-to determine that YOU will
not yield, and to abstain from all that
tends to tempt, to awaken desires for
stimulants, no matter how weary, how
worn you are with the struggle-de-
mands the strongest will, the greatest
self-sacrifice, the prayerful spirit, the
Christian life. Are YOU capable of all
this? If you doubt yourself at all, in
mercy never tempt woman to share
a drunkard's life-to behold herself the
mother of children who will never
know the beauty, the holiness, the pro-
lection of home.
You think | exaggerate your faults.
You do not know all that is burned as
with the stamp of fire upon my men,
DRY. The years roll back, and ! see
young, trusting, eredulons girl, who
knew neither herself nor her needs in
life, welded to man whose earthly
prospects seemed fairer than those of
most men. But this girl, so innocent,
lovely, and trusting, learned soon-ah,